But: the conjunction here marks a definite contrast between what may have been expected and what the soldier actually responded. He would have no part of any reward of any size for doing something contrary to the will of David, his commander in chief.
If I felt in my hand the weight …: this is a rather graphic way of saying “Even if you had already given me…” or “Even if I already had in my possession….” The plural Hebrew word rendered hand often refers specifically to the palm of the hand.
A thousand pieces of silver: the relationship between this amount and the ten pieces of silver mentioned in the previous verse is more important to the story than the precise amounts. The soldier affirms that he would refuse even a hundred times more than the amount previously offered if he had to disobey the orders of his king. In some languages the most natural rendering may actually be “a hundred times more than that….”
Put forth my hand against the king’s son: that is, “take action against the king’s son…” or “use my power to kill the king’s son.”
For …: the transition word here indicates that what follows is the reason why the soldier would refuse to take action against Absalom.
In our hearing the king commanded: in many languages it will be more normal to say “we were there when the king ordered…” or “we heard it when the king said….” The Hebrew construction is literally “the king commanded … saying.”
For my sake protect the young man: this translation is based on the ancient versions and a few Hebrew manuscripts, and nearly all modern translations follow this reading. Most Hebrew manuscripts read “watch out for whoever is against the young man” or “watch out whoever you may be for the young man.” The Hebrew text is not the same here as in verse 5, and there is some debate about which is the original text in this case. There is no verb in verse 5, and the verb here in verse 12 usually means “protect” or “look out [for].” The Hebrew word following the verb here in verse 12 means “who” or “whoever.” This word differs from the word translated “for me” in verse 5 by only one letter. Finally, the Hebrew preposition before the words the young man is also different from the one in verse 5. All this makes for a very difficult expression to interpret.
Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament recommends that the Masoretic Text be followed and gives a {B} rating to the text, but not even New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh or New International Version, which usually follow the MT, do so here. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible (“Watch out that no one harms the young Absalom”) is one of the few modern translations that follows the MT (so also Bible de Jérusalem, 1998). Revised English Bible lacks the words For my sake and seems also to follow the MT, “to take care of the young man Absalom.”
The Masoretic Text certainly makes sense here, and the meaning is nearly the same as that in the ancient versions. Whether David said “For my sake protect the young man” or “Watch out that no one harms the young man,” the meaning is nearly the same. Translators should follow the MT here.
The direct quotation of David’s words about Absalom to the three commanders within the larger quotation will be awkward in certain languages and will be better rendered indirectly. New American Bible translates “charged you … in our hearing to protect the youth Absalom for his sake.”
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .